Cooking with your children teaches them new skills and helps them to explore new tastes.  Better still, making something delicious with your children does not have to be complex. The Italians love to take just a few fresh ingredients – only 3 or 4 – and make a delicious dish.  Don’t overcrowd it, let the flavours speak for themselves.

Here are some ideas to get you started. Be as creative as you want to be, and explore some new flavours! 

Rainbow rice salad 

Bright, colourful and packed with flavour 

You will need:

75g long grain rice

Your choice of chopped or whole vegetables: cherry tomatoes, cooked peas, sweetcorn, peppers, red onion or avocado etc.

2 tablespoons of parsley, cress or watercress

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Method

1. Cook 75 g long grain rice following the instructions on the pack for cooking time and then cool quickly by draining and running through cold water.
2. Mix in a few chopped or whole vegetables of your choice.
3. Season by snipping fresh parsley, cress or watercress over the salad to serve. A dash of lemon will help give your flavours a nice Mediterranean lift!

Top tip: encourage children to try new vegetables with the Get Set to Eat Fresh colour challenge. Who can create the most colourful rainbow rice salad? 

Coronation Chicken

A great salad, sandwich or baked potato filler

You will need:

Cooked chicken breast

2 tablespoons of yoghurt (or mayonnaise)

½ teaspoon of curry paste or powder (adjust to taste)

Your choice of: dried apricots, sultanas, or flaked almonds

Method

1. Cut up a small piece of cooked chicken breast, or pull apart with fingers.
2. Mix 2 tablespoons yoghurt or mayonnaise with ½ teaspoon curry paste or powder (adjust to taste).
3. Add a tablespoon of scissor-snipped dried apricots, sultanas or flaked almonds and mix together ready to serve.

Top tip: kitchen scissors are great for children to use instead of a knife for cutting apricots, spring onions, peppers, or herbs.